The use of radioactive material occasionally results in radiation and/or contamination areas that require decontamination or other remedial efforts. In some cases, the radiation and/or contamination levels may be significant, and the specific locations of the radiation and/or contamination may not be accurately known. As a result, various instruments have been developed to assay radiation and contamination areas so that the costs and personnel exposures associated with the decontamination or other remediation efforts can be reduced.
Various factors are considered in the design and selection of instruments to assay radiation and/or contamination areas. For example, the responsive range of the instruments should be selected so that the instruments are capable of reliably measuring varying levels of radiation without requiring excessive exposure times while also having sufficient sensitivity to discriminate between separate sources of radiation and/or locations of contamination. In addition, remote positioning and operation of the instruments is often desirable to reduce personnel exposure, particularly when the radiation and/or contamination levels are high or unknown. As a result, various improvements in instruments used to assay radiation and/or contamination areas that enhance sensitivity and/or remote positioning of the instruments would be useful.